Illuminated sign.



C. A. McNEAL.

ILLUMINATED SIGN.

APPLICATION FILED MAY. 1911 Patented Apr. 13, 19115.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

THE NORRIS PETERS CO.. PHCITO-LITHO., WASHINGTON. D C

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CHARLES A. MGNEAL, 0F COLUMBUS, OHIO.

ILLUMINATED SIGN.

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Application filed May 17,1911.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, CHARLES A. MGNEAL, a citizen of the United States,resident of Columbus, in the county of Franklin and State of Ohio, havemade a certain new and useful Invention in Illuminated Signs; and Ideclare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of thesame, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which itappertains to make and use the invention, reference being had to theaccompanying drawings, and to letters or figures of reference markedthereon, which form a part of this specification.

Figure 1 is a front view of the sign, partly in diagram, showing thecontroller in duplicate with one controller open and the other closed.Fig. 2 is aside view of the controllerpartly in section. Fig. 8 is afront view of a pattern sheet. Fig. 4 is a fragmentary perspective viewof the framework of the sign.

The invention has relation to electrically illuminatedsigns, and itconsists in the novel construction and combinations of parts, ashereinafter set forth.

In the accompanying drawings, illustrating the invention, the numeral 1designates a display or sign board, carrying a plurality of electriclamps 2, 2, arranged in rows, a predetermined number of lamps in eachrow or in certain rows being designed to be illuminated by the meanshereinafter described to display a certain selected design or letter. Ofthis means the controller 4 is an important element, and is composed oftwo sections, the one section 5 being provided with a number ofdepressible contact pins 6, 6, arranged in exactly the same order as thelamps upon the display board, but on a much smaller scale, said pinsbeing carried by coiled springs 6 located within and separated from eachother by insulating material 8. The other and opposing section 9 of thecontroller is provided with a plurality of metallic contact bars 10, 10,each of which is arranged opposite to and capable of contact with one ormore of the members of a row of the pins 6, 6, corresponding to each rowof lamps of the sign. Each of the contact pins 6 has a separate wiringconnection 11 with the lamp upon the display board to which itindividually relates, said lamp having a wiring connection 11 with acontact 145* of a switch 15, and each contact bar has a separate wiringSpecification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 13, 1915.

Serial No. 627,829.

connection 13 with the opposite contact 14 of said switch, one wiringconnection 13 only being required between each contact bar and theswitch contact.

The electric service or source of the electrical current required toilluminate the lamps has wiring connections (not shown) with the twoswitch contacts 14 and 14 18 designates a pattern sheet composed ofinsulating material capable of being interposed between the two sectionsof the controller, said sheet having a plurality of perforations 17, 17,arranged to form a certain selected letter or design, and correspondingin arrangement precisely with the lamps upon the displayboard which areto be illuininated'to reproduce this letter or design. This patternsheet being placed in opposition to the section 5 of the controllercarrying the contact pins and adjusted so that the perforations of thesheet are in register with the proper-contact pins, and the othersection 9 of the controller being brought in 'oppositionor contactwiththe otherside of the pattern sheet, the contact pins in line with theperforations of said sheet will be caused by their carrying springs toproject through such perforations into electrical contact with the bars10, 10, there being one contact bar for each row of pins and row oflamps, and all of the projecting contact pins of each row making contactwith the same bar, to illuminate the lamps of the display board andreproduce thereupon the perforated letter or design of the pattern card,once the switch lever 18 is thrown to make connection between the twoswitch contacts.

The lamps upon the sign or display board being arranged in rows and thelamps in each row having separate electrical or wiring connection with asingle contact bar of the controller, one fuse only is required for allof the lamps of each row, said fuse being located preferably at 19 inthe connection 13 of the contact bar with the switch. That is to sayeach row of lamps with the contact bar corresponding thereto and thewiring connections of each lamp of the row with its contact pin and withthe switch contact and of said contact bar with the other switchcontact, forms a separate elec trical circuit having its individualfuse.

There may beas many as fifty thousand more or less of lamps upon thedisplay or sign board, and the invention is designed to reduce to aminimum the wiring connections in a changeable electric sign between thecontroller and the switch, and the number of fuses required for thelamps.

By using a suflicient number of lamps almost any design perforated inthe pattern sheet can be reproduced in lighted lamps upon the displayboard with minimum complication of wiring connections.

In practice, the lamps of the sign or display board are arrangedpreferably in vertical rows, each row of lamps forming a part of aseparate electrical circuit, as before stated, and all of the wiringconnections of each circuit being preferably inclosed in an individualconduit. The rows of lamps are so arranged as to leave as much air spaceas possible between the rows, which will reduce the resistance to thewinds, facilitate the location of any defect in the wiring and theremoval of any defective part and its substitution by a perfect one.

If desired the perforations of the pattern sheets may be filled in witha substance which is a good electrical conductor (not shown).

It is preferred to provide the controller in duplicate as shown, inorder that the change of si n may be made without delay.

Having thus described my invention,

what I claim as new and desire to obtain by Letters Patent is In a signadapted for electrical illumination, a controller member having a seriesof parallel circuit bars, a display board having a similar series ofparallel frame bars corresponding respectively to said parallel circuitbars, a second member having a plurality of contact points arranged inrows opposite said circuit bars and capable of contact therewith, asimilar plurality of lamps upon said display board arranged in rowsalong said frame bars and having respectively position thereoncorresponding to said contact points, wiring connections between each ofsaid contact points and a similarly located lamp, wiring connections forestablishing a separate electric circuit through the lamps of each framebar and through the corresponding circuit bar, a fuse in each suchcircuit adjacent to and in connection with its respective circuit bar,and a removable perforated sheet between the controller members adaptedto allow certain selected points only to contact.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature, in presence of two witnesses.

CHARLES A. MoNEAL.

Witnesses:

JOHN U'rnnvrs, J. L. BACHMAN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C.

